The surname Courtauld was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands in Essex as recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.
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Early History of the Courtauld family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Courtauld research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Courtauld History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Courtauld Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Courtall, Courtauld, Courtale and others.
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Early Notables of the Courtauld family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
the Courtauld family of Essex
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Migration of the Courtauld family
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..
Contemporary Notables of the name Courtauld (post 1700)
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Samuel Courtauld (1876-1947), English industrialist
Nicholas Courtauld Rayner (1938-2017), British Army officer with the 11th Hussars and later jewellery expert and auctioneer; head of Sotheby's Geneva office
England
